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BCC Approves $100,000 Contract for New Boys & Girls Club in Jeffco
Commissioners approved a $100,000 contract for services with the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Denver for a new club in Jefferson County.
 The Boys & Girls Club received a $500,000 community challenge grant from a private donor on the condition that the community would raise an additional $350,000 by May 1. As of the BCC hearing on April 27, the club had raised a total of $800,000, including the $500,000 challenge grant.
The new club will be at O'Connell Middle School in Lakewood and will provide services to some of the most at-risk youth in Jefferson County. Activities and services will be provided to children during the after-school hours at a low cost of only $2 a year. O'Connell Middle School serves 500 students, nearly 73 percent of whom receive free or reduced-rate lunches.
"The Boys & Girls Club is an investment in some of Jeffco's most at-risk kids," said Commissioner Faye Griffin. "By supporting them we can teach them life skills and help them stay out of our legal and human services systems."
In 2006, the Board of Directors of Boys & Girls Club of Metro Denver identified Jefferson County as one of several communities in need of youth development for the at-risk youth population. A task force of civic and community leaders, led by District Attorney Scott Story, convened to bring the club to life. Many of those task force members were at the BCC hearing.
"We were amazed quite frankly at how thoughtful and how hardworking this group became, and they have come together as a team to create something very special for the community and for the kids today and the kids tomorrow," said John Arigoni, president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver.
In the Denver area, the club provides after-school programs to more than 9,000 kids, ages 6 to 18, at eight facilities. On average, Boys & Girls Club members spend about three hours a day during the school year and five hours a day during the summer at one of the clubs. Nationally, 90 percent of members graduate from high school or earn a GED.
"This particular contract is a contract that deserves special attention because of the community effort, because it is the first, and because it offers such promise for our youth moving forward in Jefferson County," said Commissioner Kathy Hartman, BCC chairman.
Visit the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver Web site to learn more. |
Crime and Reports to Sheriff's Office Fall in First Quarter of 2010
The Jeffco Sheriff's Office saw a 17 percent drop in reports and a 9 percent drop in crime in the first quarter of 2010 when compared to the same period in 2009.
 Sheriff Ted Mink presented those figures and other updates to Commissioners during his First Quarter Law Enforcement Authority report. Not all crime was down. For instance, the county saw a 12 percent increase in theft in 2010.
Other highlights of the first quarter report include:
- The Sheriff's Office Traffic Unit worked with the Jeffco Transportation and Engineering Division to adjust traffic-light timing at three high-accident intersections. It also worked with the State Patrol on its "Heat Is On" enforcement and with its air radar unit to enforce traffic laws on certain roadways. The county experienced a 12 percent decrease in injury accidents from 2008 to 2009.
- The Sheriff's Office has received a report regarding a new scam that targets elderly residents. Victims receive phone calls from foreign callers who say the victim has won the lottery and needs to send money. If the victim doesn't send money, the caller says he or she will send law enforcement to the victim's home. Then, the caller contacts the local police to request a "welfare check" on the victim. The police knock on the victim's door, which sometimes frightens the victim into sending money. So far, one incident has occurred in Jefferson County, but the victim did not send money and reported the call to the Sheriff's Office.
- In March, two of the department's three crime prevention deputies earned certifications from the International Society of Crime Prevention Practitioners as international crime prevention specialists. The certification is for a thorough knowledge of best practices in crime prevention. The third crime prevention deputy received certification in 2008.
Visit the Sheriff's Office Web site for more information. |
Jeffco Human Services Takes Part in Pilot Study to Advance Child Protective Services
Jefferson County is one of five Colorado counties taking part in a research and demonstration grant on Differential Response in Child Welfare. Differential Response is an approach that allows caseworkers to respond to low or moderate reports of child abuse and neglect by engaging families in a non-adversarial process of linking them to services they need to prevent future maltreatment.
 Currently, when the county receives a report of child abuse or neglect, all accepted reports go down the "investigation track," which focuses on formally determining whether abuse or neglect occurred. Staff from Jefferson County's Children, Youth and Families Division briefed Commissioners on Differential Response. Through Differential Response, caseworkers will examine the type and severity of the alleged maltreatment, the number of previous reports and the willingness of parents to participate in services. This new track in Colorado will be called the "Family Assessment Response" track.
"This could help prevent more serious abuse later on," said Lynn Johnson, Human Services director.
Past research has shown that Differential Response can result in more cases of parent engagement and ultimate child safety. It also may be less expensive and allow caseworkers to address a greater volume of reports more effectively. Last year, Jefferson County received more than 7,000 reports of child maltreatment. Reports have increased 47 percent over the last five years.
Differential Response practice in child welfare is one of the recommendations resulting from Governor Ritter's appointed Child Welfare Action Committee. House Bill 1226 was introduced this legislative session to implement Differential Response in the five pilot counties. It passed both the House and Senate committees and will soon be signed into law by the Governor.
Extensive planning and training has started at Jeffco to prepare for implementation. In November, as reports of neglect or abuse come to the Children, Youth and Families Division, staff will determine whether the report is a low, moderate or high risk. If it is high risk, the report will proceed down the traditional investigation track. If it is a low or moderate risk, cases will be randomly selected to either continue in the current investigation track or enter the Family Assessment Response track. If the severity of the report and risk level changes during the Family Assessment Response, the track can change to an investigative response. Families participate voluntarily. Families and caseworkers will provide feedback through surveys and reports. The study will last through September 2013.
The Colorado Department of Human Services, Colorado State University Social Work Research Center and Westat, an independent research firm, make up one of three sites to be selected nationally. Teams in Illinois and Ohio also are taking part. Colorado received a $1.8 million research grant for the project, which includes extensive caseworker training, project evaluation, services to families and administration. Jefferson, Arapahoe, Fremont, Garfield and Larimer counties are the five Colorado counties taking part. American Humane Association, on behalf of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Children's Bureau, is administering the study.
For more information about Differential Response, visit the National Quality Improvement Center's Web site. |
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Other BCC Actions
Open Space to Buy Addition to Coal Creek Canyon Park
Commissioners approved a recommendation from the Open Space Advisory Committee to buy about 5.6 acres southwest of State Highways 93 and 72. The county will use Open Space Bond Funds to buy the land for $2.3 million from Cimarron Commercial, LLC. It borders Denver Water Board property on two sides and will be an addition to the Coal Creek Canyon Open Space Park.
BCC Approves $3.4 Million Contract for Phase II of West Chatfield Avenue Project
 Jefferson County will contract with Premier Paving, Inc., of Denver, to widen West Chatfield Avenue from South Yukon Street to South Everett Way. This is the second phase of the construction project, which also includes creating raised medians, sidewalks, curbs, gutters and retaining walls and improving site drainage. Funding from the Half-Cent Southeast Sales Tax will fund the $3.4 million project. The contract that Commissioners approved states that work shall be complete within 270 days from the contract start.
Head Start Staff to Receive Pay Increase
Jefferson County Head Start staff will receive a 1.84 percent hourly pay increase in July. The federal government issued the pay increase to adjust for increased cost of living. The increase was originally funded through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, but President Obama permanently increased Head Start's funding in December. Jefferson County will incur no fiscal impact because the match funding from the county of about $6,300 will be met through parent and community volunteer hours. Lynn Johnson, director of Human Services, told the BCC that Head Start employees are not on the county's pay schedule, so they have not always received pay increases when other county staff have. |
 View BCC Meetings Online! | |
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